the characters are unlikable, but you feel some sympathy to them. nina is awfully relatable and while she is not the most reliable narrator, you are drawn into her wittiness and humour.
the book, however, can feel a bit dragging because it does not have a discernible plot throughout. if you're into books like normal people by sally rooney this might be a good fit for you!
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Abortion, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Police brutality, Death of parent, and Sexual assault
Minor: Eating disorder and Animal death
here's what i thought about the characters (spoiler alert!)
nina: our main protagonist is a burnt out MFA graduate working in retail and doing side hustles. she has a habit of gaslighting herself to cater to those around her, putting others' needs first before her own. in the moments where she expresses her true feelings, she does it in a hostile way because of the resentment she has bottled up for too long. she isnt perfect, evident by her lying to get out inconvenient situations and using cheating as a form of escapism.
odessa: she made a mistake that she most likely regrets when she was 13. it was interesting to see how others weaponised this against her. she copes by depending on nina a lot (codependency is the overarching theme in this book). she probably had chemistry with nina's first boyfriend, mission.
seth: the starving artist - his parents divirced and his dad died shortly after. adamant against the idea polyamory, seth is rather too comfortable clinging onto nina for financial support. seth has most likely known before their fallout, that nina has been cheating on him. however he chooses to be avoidant about this.
aaron: before marriage, he seemed like the perfect match for nina. somehow the claustrophobic apartment they lived in changed nina's perspective on their relationship. aaron turned into a clingy, destructive, narcissistic monster in nina's eyes.
nina's mother: she treats nina like a best friend rather than daughter. she shares minute details about her sex life, forwards the email her "special friend" sent her while refusing to take any form of advice. she weaponises nina's insecurities against her and scrutinises the people she chooses to be in relationships with. she guilt trips nina for not spending time with her while never committing to any plans nina invites her to. later, we learn that she had baggage that may have contributed to this. she never succeeded amending her avoidant nature.
aaron's parents: the worst. narcissistic mom and enabler dad. i will not be speaking about them